Views
Views, originally called Views from the 6, is the fourth studio album from Drake, and his 10th overall project. It was released on April 29, 2016, by Young Money Entertainment, Cash Money Records, and Republic Records. Background The album's title was first announced as Views from the 6, as it first appeared from a report in a July 2014 article from Billboard.13 According to Drake on Twitter, "the 6" is a reference to his hometown of Toronto, Ontario. On April 29, 2016, it was revealed that the title had been shortened to Views. The cover artwork for Views was released via Drake's Twitter account on April 24, 2016, which features Drake sitting atop the CN Tower in Toronto. The fact that Drake was significantly larger than life-size on the cover was widely discussed, and CN Tower's Twitter account later confirmed it to be photoshopped. Promotion Drake premiered a single, called "Summer Sixteen" through OVO Sound Radio on January 30, 2016. The track was produced by 40, Boi-1da and Cubeatz. The song contains a slowed-down sample of "Glass Tubes" performed by Brian Bennett. The cover art was designed by Filip Pągowski, who was a creator of the Comme des Garçons logo. The song peaked at number six on the Billboard Hot 100, selling 215,000 copies in its first week, making it the highest debut sales of Drake's career. On March 26, 2016, that single sold 358,000 copies in the United States. On April 4, 2016, the album was initially teased in London. On April 9, Drake released a trailer for Views on Twitter. Drake opened the "pop-up" stores, giving away free black and white T-shirts with "Views" written on the front. According to 40, a mixes for the clean versions were finished, as well as having all sample clearances and credits were finalized On April 26, Drake revealed that Views would include 20 or more songs than any of his previous albums, excluding the bonus tracks. After his last "pop-up" store stop in his home city of Toronto, Drake released the album's cover artwork on social media. On April 29, the album premiered on Apple Music's OVO Sound Radio, following his interview with Beats 1's radio host Zane Lowe, and then released on both Apple Music and iTunes exclusively, followed by a release on to other digital retailers and a physical release a week later, and a release on to other streaming services a week after that. On May 14, Drake was the host and musical guest on an episode of Saturday Night Live, where he sang "One Dance" and "Hype". On September 26, Drake released a short film on Apple Music, titled "Please Forgive Me", which features several songs from Views. Reception Commerical performance Views received lukewarm reviews from critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received an average score of 69, based on 31 reviews. Many reviewers found it overlong and lacking in a cohesive theme, while claiming Drake was not challenging himself artistically; according to MTV's Meghan Garvey, the unenthusiastic response to the record may have been attributed to Drake's "unwillingness (or inability) to significantly evolve beyond his time-tested signature sound, clinging to the comfort of the same frosty 40 beats, zingy aphorisms, and perennial trust issues". Reviewing Views in The New York Times, Jon Caramanica said Drake's "emotional excavations aren't as striking as they were a few years ago, when they had the sting of the new to them." In The A.V. Club, Evan Rytlewski argued that he had "done this before and done it better", describing the album as "too long and stubbornly low energy". Neil McCormick wrote in The Daily Telegraph that in spite of some evocative production and Drake's impressive rapping skills, his continued "navel gazing" demonstrated a lack of emotional maturity and insight. Brooklyn Russell from Tiny Mix Tapes wrote that "for an artist so eager to entertain, so set on proving his superstar status in a fickle industry, he surprisingly doesn't take any risks in order to do something truly different," while observing a "glaring lack of consistency in lyrics, song ideas, and good humor." Andy Gill of The Independent was more critical, panning the album as "utterly wearying and unpersuasive" while declaring that "rarely has one man moaned quite so much about so little." Alexis Petridis wrote a largely positive review in The Guardian, arguing that Views "offers a lengthy inventory of miseries, cleverly offset by a sly sense of humour and eclectic sound". He deemed it "compelling evidence that this is the defining pop artist of the moment". In The Observer,Kitty Empire found the lyrical and production detail "pin-sharp", and Mojo wrote that the overly introspective themes were redeemed by Drake's nimble flow and clever sense of humor. NME journalist Nick Levine said his "signature brand of downbeat introspection remains gripping". Los Angeles Times critic Mikael Wood wrote that the record "sets his harshest thoughts about women against the prettiest, most sensual music he's ever made", featuring a number of "deeply beautiful tracks" that "further dismantles whatever barrier was left between rap and R&B following Drake's earlier albums". Accolades Views received multiple nominations for the 59th Grammy Awards, including Album of the Year. The album was nominated for Best Rap Album while "Hotline Bling" won for Best Rap/Sung Performance and Best Rap Song, respectively. And the single version of "Pop Style" featuring The Throne was nominated for Best Rap Performance. The album won the award forFavorite Rap/Hip-Hop Album at the 2016's American Music Awards. Tracklist # Keep the Family Close # 9 # U with Me? # Feel No Ways # Hype # Weston Road Flows # Redemption # With You (featuring PARTYNEXTDOOR) # Faithful (featuring Pimp C & dvsn) # Still Here # Controlla # One Dance (featuring Wizkid & Kyla) # Grammys (featuring Future) # Childs Play # Pop Style # Too Good (featuring Rihanna) # Summers Over Interlude # Fire and Desire # Views # Hotline Bling (BONUS TRACK) Track notes * "Keep the Family Close" features background vocals by Filbert Assibo-Dadzie, Sabrina Galmo and Aion "Voyce" Clarke * "9" features additional background vocals by Jelleestone * "U with Me?" features additional background vocals by Divine Brown and PartyNextDoor * "Feel No Ways" features background vocals by Daniel Daley * "Hype" features background vocals by James McMorrow and additional background vocals by Baka * "Redemption" features background vocals by Darhyl " Hey DJ" Camper, Jr. * "With You" features background vocals by Jeremih * "Faithful" features background vocals by Darhyl "Hey DJ" Camper, Jr. * "Controlla" features background vocals by Beenie Man * "Too Good" features background vocals by Beverly Crandon * "Summers Over Interlude" features vocals by Majid Al Maskati * "Views" features background vocals by Aion "Voyce" Clarke * The bonus track "Hotline Bling" appears on all versions of the album. Sample notes * "9" contains a sample of "Dying" performed by Mavado featuring Serani. * "U with Me?" contains a sample of "What These Bitches Want", and contains an interpolation of "How's It Goin' Down" performed by DMX. * "Weston Road Flows" contains a sample of "Mary's Joint" performed by Mary J. Blige. * "One Dance" contains a sample of "Do You Mind (Crazy Cousins Remix)" performed by Paleface featuring Kyla. * "Feel No Ways" contains a sample of "World's Famous" performed by Malcolm McLaren. * "Redemption" contains a sample of "One Wish" performed by Ray J. * "Faithful" contains samples of "Get Gone" performed by Ideal, and "Tom Ford (Remix)" performed by Jay Z featuring Pimp C. * "Controlla" contains a sample of "Tear Off Mi Garment" performed by Beenie Man. * "Childs Play" contains a sample of "Rode That Dick Like a Soldier" performed by Ha-Sizzle. * "Too Good" contains a sample of "Love Yuh Bad" performed by Popcaan. * "Fire & Desire" contains a sample of "I Dedicate (Part I, II, & III)" performed by Brandy. * "Views" contains a sample of "The Question Is" performed by The Winans. * "Hotline Bling" contains a sample of "Why Can't We Live Together" performed by Timmy Thomas. Category:2016 Category:Studio albums